6 world-changing cars from motoring history

To billions of people, the car stands for freedom. The number of individual car models designed – let alone the total number of cars built – runs into the many thousands.

For every car designer, each new creation was a pivotal moment, but some cars were particularly special.

Let’s have a look at six of the truly epochal models in motoring history.

1957 Fiat 500

It was physically tiny, but there was nothing small about the concept of the Fiat 500. It came before the Mini, a car globally credited with ushering in the era of capable small cars. As such the Fiat should perhaps have received more critical acclaim. The 500 was cheap to buy, but the two-cylinder engine in the back of Dante Giacosa’s timeless body shape was the work of Ferrari Formula 1 engine designer Aurelio Lampredi. Even today you’d struggle to name another car quite as effective as an inner-city runabout.

1908 Ford Model T

Arguably the car that more than any other gave mobility to the world. It took a while for the Model T to make its mark, though: 22 years elapsed between the arrival of the first recognisable car (the Benz) and the launch of the Model T. Even its biggest fans never described it as a cracking drive, but the point about the T was its value. Innovative assembly lines delivered mass production at an affordable price. The initial price (equivalent to $20,000 now) dropped like a stone as efficiencies took hold. By 1923 it was down to under $300, about $4200 today, and 1 in 2 cars sold in the States were Model Ts.

1948 Jaguar XK120

Post-war Britain was a grim and austere place. Food was rationed for years after the end of hostilities and eggs came in powdered form. Just the time then for Jaguar to launch a sports car that is still one of the most beautiful ever made. Powered by a twin-cam straight six that was guaranteed to take it to 120mph – hence the name – when most cars were wheezing along at half that rate, the XK120 pressed home its advantage by being surprisingly affordable.

1959 Lotus Seven

Proving beyond all doubt that light weight was at least one of the routes to sporting success, the Lotus Seven could be put together in your home garage and then taken out to win at your local race circuit. Its speed resulted in its being banned from more than one race series to give non-Seven owners a chance. The Caterhams that ultimately sprang from this devastatingly simple design are still setting the pace nearly sixty years later.

1970 Range Rover

Yes, yes, the Jeep Wagoneer beat the Range Rover to the title of first true luxury SUV, but the gentrification of the crude old Land Rover into a new concept of city-gent acceptability was massively significant in terms of influencing the huge market that would follow. Before the Range Rover came along, going off road was largely regarded as something farmers did. This remarkable machine delivered astonishing ability in just about any kind of underfoot condition, but with the previously unknown bonus feature of occupant comfort.

2006 Audi R8

When Audi announced a genuine alternative to Porsche’s all-conquering 911, more than one set of eyebrows was raised. After all, Audi’s products hadn’t exactly gathered a global reputation for thrilling dynamics. Maybe BMW or Mercedes could do it, but Audi? The doubters had to revise their opinions when the R8 arrived. It successfully packaged great looks, sounds, performance and handling into a highly accomplished and yet still accessible supercar.